Jibarito
The jibarito (pronounced hee-bah-ree-to), a specialty of Chicago, is a sandwich made with flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread, garlic-flavored mayonnaise, and a filling that typically includes meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato.[1][2] The original jibarito had a steak filling, and that remains the usual variety, but other ingredients, such as chicken and pork, are common.
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[edit] History
Chicago restaurateur Juan "Peter" Figueroa[1] introduced the jibarito at Borinquen Restaurant, a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, in 1996,[1][2] after reading about a Puerto Rican sandwich substituting plantains for bread. The name is a diminutive of Jíbaro and means "little yokel."
The sandwich's popularity soon spread to other Latin-American restaurants around Chicago, including Mexican, Cuban and Argentinian establishments, and jibaritos now can be found in some mainstream eateries as well.[3]
[edit] Related sandwiches
Other Latin American sandwiches served on fried plantains predate the jibarito. They include a Venezuelan specialty called a patacones and a 1991 invention by Jorge Muñoz and Coquí Feliciano served at their restaurant, Plátano Loco, in Aguada, Puerto Rico.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Saga of a sandwich. Chicago Tribune, June 18, 2003.
- ^ a b Zeldes, Leah A.. "Borinquen Restaurant". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant Guide. http://www.diningchicago.com/2008/show_banner.php?restID=3473&sCate2=. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
- ^ First look at Graham Elliot's Grahamwich. Chicago Tribune, December 15, 2010: "And it was damn near impossible with the jibarito; thin-sliced fried plantains were never intended to endure such treatment."
- ^ Plantano Loco
